Is History really becoming history?

The other night my husband and I were watching the World News on CBS. They had a segment about school age kids and history. The results were astounding and disgusting. Only about 13% of high school aged students showed knowledge in American history. Other grades did not fare any better. When shown a picture of President Lincoln, almost half of them identified his picture but only a small percentage of those tested knew why he was important.

I don’t know about you, but, when I was in school, history was a big deal. Today, with the “no child left behind” program, schools concentrate on reading and math which means that history and science fall by the wayside. In some school programs, history is not even introduced to a child until they are in middle school or even high school. Steven Paine, former superintendent from WV, stated, “Overall the quality and success of our lives can only be enhanced by a study of our roots.” After all, if you don’t know your past, you will not have a future.

The sad truth is that eleven years ago, the same type survey was given to college students and 65% of college seniors flunked a high school level American history test. However, 98% of those tested knew that Snoop Doggy Dog was a rapper! What does this say about the state of our education system?

Eleven years ago, after reviewing the results of the survey, Congress called on teachers to redouble their efforts in teaching American history. Here we are, eleven years later, and school aged students know even less about history.

Many years ago, when I was in junior high and high school, as well as when I was in college, history was taught! We learned facts; we learned about our heritage; we learned how we got from there to here; we read; we studied; we put on skits in class – history was a big part of our lives. Now, today, with all of the budget cuts, history is going to be relegated to the same junk heap as music, arts and all of the other courses of study that our leaders feel are not necessary for the young people who are our future.

Of course we all laugh when political candidates like Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin make such a mess of American History – changing it to suit their needs! Recently Sarah Palin gave her own made up version of Paul Revere’s famed ride in Boston. It was laughable, to say the least. Not to be outdone, Michele Bachmann suggested that the Revolutionary War began in Concord NH! And this is the political candidate whose platform is all about getting back to the Constitution. Are you as scared as I am about the future of our country?

By: Nancy Anderson, Staff Writer